1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to controllers for vending machines and, more particularly, to a controller for a vending machine, wherein a mode for enabling selling of commodities can be selected even when change lacks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a vending machine has an empty detector which detects as lack of change when the coins stored in change coin tubes arrives at a minimum number necessary for paying out the change. It is arranged such that when the empty detector detects the lack of change, all the selling operations involving payment of change are inhibited. Otherwise, payment of change is not ensured, so that a user would suffer from unexpected loss.
However, there may be cases where a person who uses vending machines wishes to buy commodities even if he cannot receive change: for example, in a case where there is no way to buy commodities except from a nearby vending machine; in a case where a nearby vending machine from which he can buy commodities is not in service because of time; and in a case where he somehow wants to get commodities at once even if he may lose small change, etc. Even such cases, the selling operation involving payment of change is completely inhibited when there is no change stored in a conventional vending machine. Therefore, it is impossible for a person to get desired commodities from a conventional vending machine which sells those commodities even though the vending machine is located near him, if he does not have kinds of denominations which do not require change.